International Luggage Registry v. Avery Products Corp., 74-2894
| Decision Date | 24 August 1976 |
| Docket Number | No. 74-2894,74-2894 |
| Citation | 541 F.2d 830 |
| Parties | INTERNATIONAL LUGGAGE REGISTRY, a Nevada Corporation, Appellant, v. AVERY PRODUCTS CORPORATION, a California Corporation, et al., Appellees. |
| Court | U.S. Court of Appeals — Ninth Circuit |
Page 830
v.
AVERY PRODUCTS CORPORATION, a California Corporation, et
al., Appellees.
Ninth Circuit.
Henry G. Hardy (argued), San Francisco, Cal., for appellant.
Victor Rosenblatt (argued), San Marino, Cal., for appellees.
Page 831
OPINION
Before CHAMBERS, TUTTLE * and KILKENNY, Circuit Judges.
KILKENNY, Circuit Judge:
In this copyright infringement and unfair competition action, the appellant appeals from a summary judgment granted to appellees on the ground that there was no substantial similarity between appellant's copyrighted luggage label and the luggage label utilized by appellees.
Appellant provides for its members a service in locating and returning specially marked personal property, such as luggage, when it becomes lost. The articles of property subject to this service are identified with labels prepared and supplied by appellant to its members. These labels were copyrighted by appellant and serve as the means by which protected property is located and identified.
In 1971, the president of appellant revealed its method of operation to the future president of Finders, upon a representation that he was not planning to enter the business. Finders was incorporated in 1972 to enter the luggage retrieval business, using methods of operation identical to those of appellant.
Appellee, Avery Products manufactures labels and was the printer of appellant's labels, which were produced to conform to appellant's art work. Upon entering the luggage retrieval business, Finders asked Avery Products to supply it with labels of identical size and shape to those used by appellant, but designed to conform to Finders' art work. Even a casual examination of the two labels reveals a marked likeness. For this reason, we reverse.
The question of "substantial" or "noteworthy" similarity is one of fact and on appeal the issue is governed by the clearly erroneous principle stated in Rule 52(a), FRCivP. Williams v. Kaag Manufacturers, Inc., 338 F.2d 949, 951 (CA9 1964). The question of infringement is dependent upon whether an ordinary reasonable person would fail to differentiate between the two labels or would consider them dissimilar by reasonable observation. Roth Greeting Cards v. United Card Co., 429 F.2d 1106, 1110 (CA9 1970); Kaag...
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